The Tenacity of the Cockroach: Conversations with Entertainment's Most Enduring Outsiders

Celebrity interviews aren't supposed to be frank. They aren't even suppoesd to be honest - not really. Celebs are generally supposed to smile and tell interviewers that everything is wonderful every minute of every day. Not so! The Onion A.V. Club has a delightful way of making celebrities so comfortable that the celebs are beyond honest - they dare to be frank. Where else would you find Harlan Ellison bemoaning the question, "What have you been doing lately?" Ellison remarked that the emphasis on new, new, new, "is killing life for writers." If that wasn't interesting enough, Elvira commented that she leans toward B-horror films and not the Scream-type of films because she doesn't classify them as horror at all. She said, "I classify that as the evening news." Aimee Mann discusses the realities of the music business and how critical success doesn't automatically translate into commercial success. As she see's it, radio airplay isn't determined by songwriting talent, or the relevancy of your content, airplay is just another business decision. The wonderfully candid atmosphere of each interview in this collection that spans the entire entertainment industry is refreshing-these entertainers are outsiders, and not only do they have something to say, they say it.

While it's true that this book is a compendium of previously printed interviews, for those of us with little time to sift through the Onion seeking them out, this book is not only a timesaver, it helps focus the subject into a veritable intellectual safari.What an interesting blend of people this book contains! Of the 65 Hollywood "outsiders" ("Weird Al" Yankovic, Penn & Teller, Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury, Stan Freberg, Mark Mothersbaugh, Dr. Demento, Jello Biafra...ye gads...somebody stop me! There's just so many of them!) you have a chance to compare & contrast people in all aspects of the entertainment industry, and, I think, find something interesting about each of them. From the stream-of-consciousness of David Lee Roth (I like Dave, but I'm glad I wasn't the one to interview him. Yikes! No more caffiene for you Dave) to the single mindedness tackiness of Russ Meyer's ...er, "interests" (glad I didn't interview him, either but for entriely different reasons), to George Carlin's cheerful nihilism, Harlan Ellison's eternal angst, and yes, even the mysterious possibility that Al Yankovic may be harboring overdue library books, there's a wealth of humor and interesting stuff in this inexpensive book. Granted, if you are already really au courant with the entire arts and entertainment scene, this book may not jazz you as much. However, it introduced me to people I didn't know before (or didn't know as well), and to people I wanted to know better but didn't have the time to research. It hints at a lot of new artistic avenues to explore (and most of the accompanying pictures are pretty nice, too). I don't know if I'll ever have the time to satisfy the pop culture craving this book has started, but...all in all, I think I'd rather have an unsatisfied craving than no craving at all.Well, it's a blustery tempest outside right now, and I want to read some more of this book before the power goes out.

The great thing about this book is the celebrities that were interviewed. I have never seen a cover feature in People Magazine on Weird Al, but his interview in Tenacity is great. The sad thing is, is that while I am writing this review there is an ad for People with Jennifer Aniston on the cover. I don't want to read about her. I want to read about Dr. Demento and others. Kudos to the interviewers and editors of this book for making it the best reading of the year.

As the title says, this book is a collection of interviews with the outsiders. The outsiders being a group of individuals that many people may not be familiar with. These are the people that we should be listening to, but rarely get a chance to hear from. No, you won't see most of them on MTV or read about them in some magazine or newspaper, but that doesn't mean what they have to say is any less valid or engrossing. It's quite the opposite in fact. These people aren't the typical Wharholian junkies who have already eaten up their brief moment in the spotlight. These are the people that survive through the years, all the while going unnoticed by the mainstream. No, this isn't the regular Onion with gag headlines and fake stories that may or may not be humorous. This is a brilliant collection of conversation with some people who are worth listening to. That's a rare find that shouldn't go unnoticed.

The latest from The Onion gang is nicely shaped and has an easy-to-scan typographic scheme. It's the kind of book you put on the coffee table. It's also the kind of book you pick up to leaf through and end up reading whole in one sitting, snapping back to reality in the depths of foggy morning with a head full of ideas about quitting your job and doing performance art.The Ian MacKaye, Joan Jett, Tom Waits, and Pam Grier interviews are highlights, but the oft-cretinous subjects surveyed are all interesting, especially as editor Stephen Thompson has grouped them. "Why didn't I do that with my life?" one thinks, and then a few pages later, "aha, that's why."A good holiday gift, and a swift kick in the eye of complacent lethargy and stratified thinking, _Tenacity_ is perfect for your crazy uncle. Even more perfect for your aunt, the psychiatrist.